The American public consumes about 22 billion grocery sacks a year in carrying groceries from markets to their homes. A high percentage of these sacks are recycled by lining waste receptacles for the disposal of garbage. Since 1979, plastic bags with handles, known as "t-shirt" bags have begun to replace paper sacks, and it is estimated that plastic bags now constitute 38 to 40% of the market and expect to capture 50% by 1988. The American public would like very much to recycle the plastic bags as before, but unless their waste receptacles are just the right size and formed with a flanged rim, the plastic bags are very unsatisfactory as waste receptacle liners.
Several prior art systems for recycling plastic bags have been patented, but have not proven commercially acceptable. The most common systems require some modification of the waste receptacle either at the factory or by the homeowner. These systems are unsatisfactory because they are expensive or don't work satisfactory with the elastic plastic containers known as "T-shirt" bags used by supermarkets.
Other prior art systems require a bracket to be permanently affixed to the waste receptacle by means of screws, bolts or even welding or adhesive methods. While these systems work satisfactorily if the receptacle is properly sized to the plastic container liner, they have not been widely accepted because of the reluctance of consumers to take the time to permanently affix the devices to their receptacles.
Still another prior art device has been patented which attempts to snap on to the rim of a waste receptacle. This device has not yet been marketed due to the expense of making the system and the necessity of having a special type receptacle with a specially constructed rim or flange.
Since plastic bags are 30 to 60% cheaper than paper bags, take up less space and are considerably lighter than paper bags, the grocery industry is anxious for the public to accept the plastic bags. The public, on the other hand is so accustomed to recycling grocery sacks as liners for waste receptacles that they are interested only in a device which is inexpensive, does not require any tools to afix the device to the container and will fit a variety of different size receptacles.